Chapter 4: Yes, Commander!

The soldiers took cover in the artillery shelters. Thanks to the well-constructed defensive fortifications, casualties were effectively minimized.

"Commander, our army has assembled a force of about 100,000 troops along the line from Pingxing Pass to Yanmen Pass. The Japanese Fifth Division has been locked in fierce combat for several days; not only is there no sign of a breakthrough, but they are now at risk of being encircled."

"Commander Yan believes that the Chahar Expeditionary Force intends to break through at Ruyue Pass, attack Fanzhi County, and then encircle the main forces along the Pingxing Pass line. That is why they are launching their attacks with such urgency."

Chu Yunfei nodded, speaking with concise brevity: "They're desperate!"

Fang Ligong laughed.

Chu Yunfei feigned the act of raising his binoculars, while his consciousness was actually immersed in the tactical map of his system. The remnants of the puppet troops had retreated to the edge of the map. The soldiers of the First Battalion were swiftly clearing the battlefield while maintaining a vigilant watch.

What puzzled Chu Yunfei was that these puppet Mongolian cavalrymen had dismounted and were now beginning to construct defensive fortifications on the spot. If the cavalry had simply turned and fled, who the hell would have been able to catch them? Or was it that my 358th Regiment had received an offensive mission?

At present, in order to defend Shanxi and the hinterland of China, the Chairman, Chiang Kai-shek, was also mobilizing troops to reinforce the Shanxi region. Among those already fighting on the front lines were Chiang Kai-shek's own loyalist troops under Li Xianzhou.

Chu Yunfei knew well that while Ruyue Pass would hold for a short time, it would inevitably fall under prolonged assault. There were no permanent fortifications here. No matter how cleverly temporary field defenses were built, they could not withstand the relentless bombardment of the Japanese invaders.

Shortly after this round of shelling ended, the puppet Mongolian cavalry division launched another attack. They had dismounted, waving their cavalry sabers and brandishing various rifles, launching wave after wave of assaults against the soldiers' ambush positions.

On the tactical map in Chu Yunfei's mind, it was clear that the Japanese units and the cavalry had become separated. A golden opportunity!

Chu Yunfei walked quickly to the field telephone. "Get me the First Battalion command post!"

"Ring-ring!"

Qian Bojun, who was directing the battle, looked toward the telephone as his adjutant, Li Fugui, hurried over to pick it up.

"Hello, First Battalion... Yes!"

"Battalion Commander, it's the Regimental Commander!"

Qian Bojun was slightly surprised. He walked over quickly and took the receiver: "Regimental Commander, it's me!"

"You mean to organize a dare-to-die squad and immediately launch a counterattack after repelling this wave? Isn't that a bit risky?"

Not giving Qian Bojun a chance to bargain, Chu Yunfei ordered sternly: "Do as I say."

"Yes, I will execute it immediately!"

Qian Bojun waved his hand: "Adjutant Li, relay my order: using the First Company as the core, launch a counterattack immediately after repelling this wave, and pursue them!"

Li Fugui hesitated: "Battalion Commander... aren't the enemies the ones attacking right now?"

Having just been reprimanded by Chu Yunfei, Qian Bojun raised an eyebrow: "Are you the battalion commander, or am I?"

Li Fugui lowered his voice: "But those are Japanese elite troops, after all."

Qian Bojun replied: "What are you afraid of? The Regimental Commander said the artillery battalion will support us!"

After receiving the order, Li Fugui turned and left: "Yes!"

At the 358th Regiment headquarters, Fang Ligong heard of Chu Yunfei's order for the mountain artillery battalion to provide full support. He stepped forward and could not help but advise: "Regimental Commander, isn't this move a bit too risky?"

Chu Yunfei, his consciousness still immersed in the tactical map, didn't quite hear him: "Huh?"

Fang Ligong assumed Chu Yunfei was being habitually "hard of hearing" and didn't want to listen to his chatter, so he stopped trying to persuade him. The Regimental Commander must have his reasons for doing this.

Fang Ligong stepped to Chu Yunfei's side and also raised his binoculars to observe the battlefield. Chu Yunfei thought Fang Ligong wanted him to move over, so he stepped aside to create some space. Seeing this, Fang Ligong sighed inwardly.

Less than two kilometers from the First Battalion's front line, the heavy mortar company's twelve 82mm mortars had already completed their deployment. Before the battle started, Chu Yunfei had placed the heavy mortar company under Qian Bojun's command. As the First Battalion's dare-to-die squad prepared to attack, Qian Bojun certainly didn't forget this unit. He immediately connected to the heavy mortar company and demanded they fire at full capacity.

"Battalion Commander Qian, if the Regimental Commander asks..."

Qian Bojun barked: "What are you afraid of? The Regimental Commander said shells are useless if left in the crate; they don't breed. Killing one Japanese soldier is one less Japanese soldier. Give me everything you've got!"

"Yes!"

...

On the other side, the mountain artillery battalion also received Chu Yunfei's orders. Upon arriving at Ruyue Pass, the mountain artillery battalion had already conducted a survey. To ensure the success of this battle, Liang Guoping had pre-selected three artillery positions. Once Chu Yunfei provided the coordinates, the artillery battalion could commence firing within three minutes.

Although Battalion Commander Liang Guoping had some doubts about the target provided by Chu Yunfei, he resolutely carried out his orders. The gunners quickly moved into position.

At the mountain artillery battalion's position, eight Shanxi-made Model 13 75mm mountain guns were neatly arranged, spaced about 30 meters apart. The so-called Model 13 mountain gun was a 1924 copy of the Japanese Type 41 mountain gun, produced by the Taiyuan Arsenal.

The mountain guns equipped by the battalion had a maximum range of about 6,500 to 7,000 meters. That was enough.

"All crews, to your positions!"

"Sight 356, deflection left 1-15, one test round, fire!"

A shell left the barrel, slicing through the sky. Five or six seconds later, the sound of an explosion arrived. The Japanese forces were thrown into disarray by the sudden shelling. On their commander's orders, they moved quickly and scattered. Some Japanese soldiers in the center of the formation realized that running was pointless, so they quickly threw themselves to the ground and crawled toward the shelters on the sides of the road.

"Report, Battalion Commander, direct hit on the target!"

"All batteries, sight 356, deflection left 1-15, three-round volley. Ready—"

Seeing that all guns were adjusted, Liang Guoping gave the order to fire: "Fire!"

The signal flag snapped downward. Shell after shell slammed into the direction of the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade. The explosions were constant, and for a time, the Japanese suffered heavy casualties.

"Report, Battalion Commander, artillery effect is excellent, requesting to continue firing!"

The puppet Mongolian cavalrymen, who were in the midst of their attack, had already begun to rout after being hit by the mortar fire. But seeing the Japanese forces being hammered by the mountain artillery, they hesitated. Compared to mortars, they feared the power of the mountain guns even more.

However, it was precisely this moment of hesitation that caused these puppet troops to lose their best chance to escape.